whole30 // final thoughts

Today is day 29 in my Whole30 journey, and I'm posting my final thoughts a day early because I have some other stuff planned for this week. I have to admit, it's been a much easier road to travel than I thought, and I'm happy about that. After seeing such great results and feeling so much better about my body, I'm going to try my hardest to continue this way of life. At least parts of it. Here are some of my final thoughts:

I'm down 11 pounds and my body just feels good. My clothes fit better, I can suck in easier and I'm just in general not uncomfortable. I have always struggled with water retention and problems in my gut, and after a couple weeks of clean eating, I felt like those problems were gone. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that I eliminated that helped, if it was no soy, no dairy, no sugar or no alcohol, but we will see how my body feels when I am in the reintroduction phase. 

whole30 // my thoughts

For the month of January I decided to try out Whole30. I didn't read any of the books, just educated myself online and found some recipes on Pinterest, and one of my favorite Instagram accounts @whole30recipes. I'm halfway through, so I figured I'd share some of my thoughts so far. 

First off, it's really not as hard as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I've had a lot of fun coming up with things to make, especially in the first week. See one of my favorite recipes below. 

I've realized that I like sweet potatoes much more than regular potatoes. 

Eggs, avocado and almonds have become my go-tos. 

I thought I was going to miss cheese a lot more, but going dairy-free has seriously changed my life. 

Homemade mayo is so easy and it's actually really delicious! 

I've made smarter decisions and have had much less food anxiety when out at a restaurant. Also, I've seen a drastic change in my willpower which is something I thought I could never overcome. 

So far, cutting out alcohol has been surprisingly easy, but I also haven't found myself in any social situations. 

Dishes. SO. MANY. DISHES. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning plates and pans now that I'm not always eating off Lean Cuisine cardboard. 

La Croix is a life saver if you're sick of plain old water. 

I made a couple booboos at the beginning (chewed gum out of habit, bought some food with dextrose in the ingredient list) which has made me become a lot smarter about reading and knowing ingredients. No, I didn't start over, I think it's okay to slip, especially at the beginning, and especially if it's an accident. It's not like I "accidentally" shoved a cupcake down my throat. 

workout wear

It's that time of year where everyone is motivated to get into shape. The gym parking lots are filling up and it's impossible to get on a treadmill without having to wait in line. I am one of those people that would rather work out at home because I don't like people seeing me look like a wet rat while working out, so fortunately I don't have any problems with an over crowded gym. But I've been a part of a gym before and I know how it goes - be strong, it will likely clear up by February 1st.

Some people will work out for 3 or 4 weeks and then they lose their motivation. I'm here to tell you to keep it up! Trust me, I know all about losing motivation - it's much easier to get out of the habit of working out than it is to get in it. But give it another 3 or 4 weeks and you'll start seeing an improvement, and you'll wonder why you didn't start doing this sooner. Plus, gym clothes these days have made a huge improvement. Seriously, the things I used to wear to the gym. Oversized tees, stretched out sports bra and pajama pants? No. Not anymore. It seems like you can find athletic wear almost anywhere these days, and there are so many bright, cheerful colors and cute designs. And good quality! I've put together a few of my favorite workout pieces to help keep you motivated: